I was wondering if anyone here has been to identify what triggered their condition? I follow a researcher, Keith Littlewood, who is currently doing a PhD in environmental toxins and thyroid function. I was shocked to find this statistic when I typed it into google… (additional source: theguardian.com/society/202...
Has anyone read Shanna Swan’s book? Wondering if it’s worth a read or will it just be too depressing?
My hypothyroidism was caused by PBDE flame retardants used up until 2004 but still present in the environment. I give details in my profile. It’s best to refer to accredited sources and ignore anything with a marketing content.
that’s interesting. Was that in a mattress? How did you manage to work out that this was the trigger?
In mattress, foam backed carpets etc. See my website for lots of details. I’m away from home so will have limited internet.
OK, thanks. I’ll take a look (presume it’s in your bio?) 🙏🏻
Jim's website: ibshypo.com
having a baby , ironically , (hence my theory that autoimmune disease is earths way of dealing with the overpopulation of the planet by organisms that are intent on F *ing it up).
that’s interesting… I was always taught that hormonal “upheaval” leaves us vulnerable to AID development… hence most common times to develop hashi’s (for example) is menarche, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause.
everyone in my family with thyroid issues went wrong immediately after a baby , my mums sister went hyper after hers and had " bit of thyroid chopped off ~on levo for life " her mum ended up in an asylum for 5 years a couple of months after she had her .. thyroid issue/ or autoimmunity not confirmed (1930's) but i bet you 50p it was involved somehow.
i went really thin and a bit nuts a couple of months after mine ( no diagnosis or thyroid testing done) and then slowly hypo with shed loads of TPOab's .
Having babies is dangerous.
Menarche definitely promoted mine. I went to bed a fairly normal 13 year old, woke up a totally different person - panic attacks, depression, extreme fatigue, flu all the time etc.
agreed having babies is dangerous for all kinds of stuff! I can’t fathom having this disease and a little one 😮💨 when my little niece comes to stay with me I am always so glad to return her to sender.
Thyroid stuff runs in my family too, really far back and on both sides. 3 out of 4 grandmothers were known to sit in a dark corner rocking in their chairs nursing enormous goitres with dreadfully bad tempers… we are Welsh and they had 9 children a piece. Treated just like the cows they calved. I’ve got 3 sisters and none of them show anything on their thyroid labs, but all of them have a degree of “energy dysfunction” etc. (ie. I often find one of them pulled over in a lay-by near our family home having a secret nap 😂)
i have accumulated my own map of "nice quiet layby's with a pleasant view and somewhere private to have a wee when you wake up " dotted around the UK for just that purpose if they need it 
i don't need it anymore. (just got a push bike these day's~ rubbish for having a nap on .. have to go in a pub and pretend to be drinking half a pint of bitter for an hour or two.)
My understanding is that oestrogen affects the immune system and so times where it fluctuates from baseline (puberty, pregnancy, menopause) are common triggers for autoimmune diseases. They do seem to be on the rise don't they? Mine began at puberty.
Mine is genetic apparently, discovered after taking a private DIO2 gene test. I'm half Scottish, I read that the Scots are prone to thyroid illness due to a number of famines through the centuries, when the genes alter to survive the lack of food. But my hypo was totally exacerbated following miscarriages and childbirth.
That's interesting. My father was Scottish. My mother was English. I've investigated my family history on both sides, and found that my ancestry is made up mostly of very poor peasants. I imagine famines were common amongst them.
My mother was hypothyroid, and I suspect her sister and her mother probably were too.
My Scottish background is very similar.... a lot of crofters, no doubt very poor. Hypo is rampant in my family, both sides it seems looking back at the various characters.
I'm half Irish and half Iraqi. Lots of autoimmune diseases on my Iraqi side, but only one aunt with Hashimoto's on my Irish side.
Smoking and particularly stopping smoking are triggers for Hashimoto’s
Smoking also exacerbates thyroid eye disease
I think mine may relate to having viral meningitis in early 20s. No one else in my family has a (known) thyroid condition. Although SD mentions the known link between smoking and TED, I have Hashimotos and TED but have never smoked.
Note there’s a clear distinction between autoimmune hypothyroidism and endocrine disruption. The latter usually has a healthy thyroid gland and normal hormone levels.
I think about this too much. I have a list: Tonsillectomy with large blood loss. Hepatitis A. Menarche. Dexidrine or equivalent for weight control (no weight issues at the time in my opinion). The Pill. Dreadful late miscarriage due to a particular coil. Pregnancies. Stress - but now tend to think the reverse, the thyroid problem caused the uneccessary stress. Without gene testing I am pretty sure there is a problem there, inherited from both sides of family. The Scottish (or Gaelic genes re:famine). No idea about environmental stuff. Have eaten organic for years but even organic food is corrupted (chain of evidence?)
I’m so sorry you suffered all that ☹️ That sounds very hard… isn’t it awful what this disease does. I agree with you, it looks to me like your low thyroid caused those events and not the reverse. What is your conversion like? That’s a good indication of your genes maybe. Have you got hashi’s? X
I do have Hashis and I think it is of very long standing. I think there are many women with a broadly similar history. My conversion is an issue. Private endo spotted it immediately from blood tests as did SeasideSusie some time ago. At least that gave me a bit more confidence in endo. Thankfully an opportunity to move on.
Could it be Iodine 131? As a child I spent every daylight hour up a windy Welsh border hill poking a stick into puddles and daydreaming…. Chernobyl April 1986, I was 12. ☢️🦋☢️
Yes we keep forgetting about that one!
Hello there,I have graves disease diagnosed 2018.As far as I know no other thyroid problems in my family.My son was diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma in 2014 and I think the stress of that and subsequent treatments caused my graves.It was also around my menopause so maybe that too.My son recovered from hodgkins but now has ulcerative colitis.My brother has psorisis so maybe a family propensity to auto immune conditions.
Chemicals, preservatives , colourant, meds and many more for me. I could wear perfume til puberty then it smelt disgusting and all other things started to affect me. Im the only one in my family who got hayfever, hypothyroidism, womb cancer, hearing loss, eyesight problems and more. I guess I must have been the runt of the litter!!!!😆
change in environment change in nails 
Endocrine Society contact
Endocrine/thyroid screening in Brighton/West Sussex
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